


Stargazing

by CaiaCaecilia



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slavery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-29
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-17 11:03:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1385254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaiaCaecilia/pseuds/CaiaCaecilia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Is the price of survival too high?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Song of Honour

Title: - Stargazing

Author: - Caia Caecilia

Rating: - Adult

Fandom: - Star Trek: TOS

Warnings: - Will contain some adult material, slash and non-con.

Disclaimer: - All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. The poem excerpt is from "The Song of Honour" by Ralph Hodgson.

Stargazing – Prologue

"…I stood and stared; the sky was lit,  
The sky was stars all over it,  
I stood, I knew not why,  
Without a wish, without a will,  
I stood upon that silent hill  
And stared into the sky until  
My eyes were blind with stars and still  
I stared into the sky."

Enshrouded in darkness the gardens were still and quiet. The heat of the day lingered making it pleasantly warm, and as he sat on the wooden bench that stood beside the ornamental lake he let himself relax, just a little. He released some of the tension in his shoulders and the ever-present knot in his stomach loosened slightly. It always soothed him to be out here in the silent darkness, alone.

Tipping his head back slowly he gazed up at the clear night sky above. The stars scattered across the depths of the darkness seemed to draw him in and he lost himself in their beauty. His eyes searched out the patterns that had been defined amongst them many thousands of years ago, constellations around which legends and myths had been woven. Kian the snake, low on the horizon who had supposedly laid the world as an egg in the Beginning Time at the creation of the universe; Breok the warrior, a band of stars forming his drawn bow and the brightest star in the sky the tip of the arrow he was ready to let loose; Ebrel the maiden a glowing, gaseous nebula representing the glorious head of hair that had led to her murder by her jealous sister. He felt a pang of sadness within him when his mind turned to other constellations far more familiar then these, but now so far away. He remembered long summer nights as a child spent gazing up at the well-known night sky of his home world, and how he'd dreamed of leaving his world far behind and travelling out amongst those magical pin-pricks of light. He'd worked so hard to make that dream come true and he could remember the feeling of freedom and wonder as he'd journeyed out into the universe travelling between the stars, covering vast distances at tremendous speeds, action and adventure beckoning to him. What a fool he'd been. What had his wandering amongst the stars gotten him – nothing but pain and heartache. Staring into the depths of the heavens above him he wished he could be up amongst the stars again though, and that if he were then maybe he'd be able to find a path through them that would take him home again.

"I thought I'd find you here Jofre." A low, deep voice said from behind him, and he was relieved it was dark so that the other man who now stood behind him couldn't see him flinch. "Always stargazing as soon as my back is turned, hmm."

He dropped his gaze from the sky and stared out across the dark, still waters of the lake as a long fingered hand came to rest in a proprietorial manner on his shoulder. The long fingers digging into him just a little bit too hard for a moment before relaxing.

"I…I thought you'd be in the city for another couple of days." He replied in a quiet voice.

The hand on his shoulder moved slightly and a thumb began stroking small circles over the soft skin at the junction between his neck and his shoulder. The cold touch brought out goose flesh where it moved over his skin and he had to use all his strength to suppress a shudder.

"I concluded my business rather quicker then I'd anticipated, and although the city offered many delights none of them would be as sweet as you, so I hurried home. Imagine my surprise when I found you missing." The stroking thumb paused and once again the fingers dug painfully into his shoulder.

"I'm… s…sorry." He stammered. "I was hot and had a headache…I wanted to clear my head. If I'd known you were coming home I would've been waiting for you."

One final vicious squeeze and then the hand was removed. "Well never mind. I'm sure you'll find a way to take my mind off my disappointment, don't you?"

"Yes…yes of course." Relief flooded him since it seemed he would escape being punished this time.

"Now Jofre, back to the house." The other man commanded even as he turned away and began walking along the garden pathway.

Scrambling up he hurried to follow along all the while keeping a respectful distance between himself and the other man. They quickly reached the immaculate lawned area of the garden and walked up some steps to a gravelled area in front of the large house where they lived. The tall man in front swept into the house through a pair of large open glass doors not even pausing to see if he was being followed, so sure was he of his orders being obeyed.

He knew he should hurry into the house since he was already in enough trouble, but the pull of the stars was momentarily just too strong for him to resist. Pausing he looked back over his shoulder and stared once more up into the night-sky. For a moment the yearning to be up there amongst the stars again was so strong, and the loss he felt at having had his life stolen away from him was so brutal, that he nearly staggered under the weight of it, and he could hear his old self crying out in horror at what his life had become. Then from the house a sharp, angry voice called out,

"Jofre!"

Tearing himself back to the here-and-now he savagely pushed his old persona back down deep inside himself locking it away. His stargazing and dreaming was over. He wasn't Ensign Pavel Chekov anymore he reminded himself, instead he was Jofre, a slave.

"Coming Master!" He called out as he entered the house.


	2. The Road Not Taken

No infringement intended and the poem except is from "The Road Not Taken." by Robert Frost.

"I shall be telling this with a sigh  
Somewhere ages and ages hence:  
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –  
I took the one less travelled by,  
And that has made all the difference."

 

Fourteen months before the prologue...

Staring down into his half empty glass Pavel tried to force himself to cheer up – tried, and with a heavy sigh admitted defeat. The black cloud of unhappiness that hung over him had been gathering for several weeks and he knew it was the reason his friend Lieutenant Sulu had insisted on Pavel accompanying him on shore-leave. Pavel had tried to say no, but his name had been on the roster for shore-leave and when he'd retreated to his cabin to escape Sulu's persistence Sulu had pursued him there and brought re-enforcements in the shape of Lieutenant Uhura with him. Uhura had said that as she wouldn't be able to go down to the planet herself, due to essential maintenance on the communications array, she wondered if he'd do her a personal favour and pick up some Nashiran silk which she knew was sold in the local market. Then she'd smiled at him and...well he was only human and along with virtually every other male on the Enterprise, and a few of the female crew too, he was a little in love with her. So here he was staring into his drink in a noisy, crowded bar tucked away in the city's back streets with a carefully wrapped parcel of Nashiran silk sitting on the table next to his glass.

He really didn't want to feel like this but he couldn't stop himself, and as much as he hated to admit it, even if it was just to himself, because it made him feel like a child, he was homesick. In three days time it would be his Grandfather Chekov's eightieth birthday and a big family gathering was planned to take place at his grandfather's dacha. From past experience he knew there'd be troika rides through the snow, ice skating on the nearby frozen lake and mass snowball fights amongst his cousins. Then there'd be hot, sweet tea from the samovar and his Aunt Katya's blini's waiting inside for when red cheeks began to sting and the cold meant you lost the feeling in your fingers and bowing to the winter cold you retreated inside to warm up. His life had been punctuated by such gatherings held to celebrate important family occasions. The last one had been held in his honour to celebrate his passing out of Starfleet Academy and his assignment to the Enterprise. This was the first family gathering he'd miss and the pain of it made his heart heavy and his mood low.

A familiar warm, easy laugh made Pavel look towards the bar where Sulu had gone to get another couple of drinks, but was now getting on very well with a pretty young woman who had sidled up to the Lieutenant and was now pressed against him so tight Pavel doubted you'd be able to slip a hair between them, not that Sulu seemed to mind. Pavel smiled to himself, wherever they went the charming Lieutenant never seemed short of company. Then Pavel saw Sulu glance in his direction and begin trying to disentangle himself from his ardent admirer. Pavel felt a pang of guilt for impinging on his friend's fun. Shore-leave should be spent having a good time not babysitting a homesick Ensign. Quickly draining his glass, feeling the strong alcohol in the drink blazing its way through his insides all the way to his stomach Pavel picked up Lieutenant Uhura's package and made his way over to the bar and Sulu.

"Hey, Pavel," Sulu said with a smile, having to raise his voice over the sound of the people around him. "I'll get us those drinks."

Shaking his head Pavel leant in towards Sulu and replied,

"No, not for me I'm tired and am going back to the ship." Knowing that Sulu would insist on coming with him he added, "You stay and get to know your new friend."

Pavel nodded towards the young woman who hadn't seemed to notice his presence while she nuzzled Sulu's neck.

Sulu laughed and reaching up pushed the woman back, his wide grin and wink taking away any sting she might have felt at the gesture.

"Are you sure?" He asked Pavel.

"Yes, absolutely. You stay and have fun." Then lowering his voice he added. "And tell me all about it tomorrow, yes?"

"Deal," Sulu grinned, before asking "You know how to get back to the beam up site in the city centre, we're a bit off the beaten track here?"

Feigning a look of disgust Pavel played along, "Please you insult me. I am the best navigator in Starfleet; you think I cannot find my way around some city streets."

Holding up his hands in mock surrender Sulu laughed saying, "Okay, okay." Adding with a wink, "I'll see you at breakfast."

Nodding Pavel replied, "Have fun." And then threaded his way through the crowd in the bar and breathing a sigh of relief finally pushed his way out through the door and made it out onto the street.

It took him approximately half an hour to finally admit he was lost, "...best navigator in Starfleet..." he thought ruefully to himself. The drinks at the bar must have been a little stronger then he'd realised because out in the cold night air he suddenly felt a little light-headed. The locals didn't seem to believe in street lighting, at least not away from the city centre, and all the streets had begun to look alike. He'd wandered on hoping to see something familiar to put him back on the right track, but he realised had probably only succeeded in getting himself even more turned around, and yes he had to admit it – lost. Pausing he was finally about to reach for his communicator and ask to be beamed up from his current location, even if it would probably mean weeks of teasing from everyone – the navigator who got lost. Just as his fingers brushed the cold metal at his waist he heard a sound like a whimper of pain coming from an alley to his left. Peering into the darkness he could just make out the shape of a small person hunched over, leaning against the wall about one third of the way down the alley. He called out,

"Are you alright?" as he stepped towards the entrance of the alleyway.

He hesitated a little, reluctant to move away from the relative safety of the street, but another pain-filled cry made up his mind and he trotted down the alley towards the figure.

The person had their back to him and stopping by them he leaned forward trying to see their face as he asked,

"Are you hurt? Do you need help?"

The figure straightened and turned towards him and he had a glimpse of a woman's smiling face before he felt a sharp pain in his back and the world went black.

Two men stepped out of a shadowed alcove in the wall behind Pavel, one re-holstering his stun weapon and looking at the woman who'd acted as the decoy.

"I thought you said there were two of them." He hissed.

"There were, but the other one got picked up by some local whore and this one left on his own. I didn't want to go back to the ship empty handed, and it was hard enough figuring out which way this one was going and getting ahead of him to set the trap without having to explain it all to you first." She sneered back.

Looking down the man nudged the unconscious form at his feet with his boot before grunting,

"I suppose he'll have to do then."

Then he crouched down and quickly frisking Pavel he pulled out his communicator and tossing it to the woman he said,

"Here, destroy that so they can't get a fix on it. It'll slow down their search for him and the more space between us and that Federation ship before they figure out he's not planet-side the better."

He watched as the woman stamped repeatedly on the communicator smashing it to pieces and kicking what was left under a pile of rubbish. When he'd finished he spoke into his own communicator which he wore around his wrist,

"Bring us up and tell the Captain we have cargo, we can leave orbit right away."

There was a brief muffled response and then a glow of blue light that faded quickly and left the alley dark, quiet and empty, a wet and muddy length of Nashiran silk spilling from a trampled package.


	3. Where, Without, Whom

Chapter 2  
No infringement intended and the poem is "Where Without Whom” by Octavio Paz.

 

   
“There is not  
A single soul among the trees  
And I  
Don't know where I've gone.”

The pounding in his head took on the rhythm of his heartbeat and seemed to reverberate in every atom of his body. A small moan escaped his lips and Pavel vowed not to do that again as the sound caused the tiny person he was sure was in his head pounding on his skull with a sledgehammer to pick up his pace. It must have been one hell of a night if he had a hangover of such colossal proportions. 

 

He tried to remember the good time he must have had but only snatches of memory floated within his reach, he remembered being on shore leave and being in a small bar with Lieutenant Sulu, but any more detail was currently beyond his foggy brain’s ability to recall. As well as the pain in his head his other senses were slowly beginning to return and Pavel realised that instead of being in his bed he seemed to be lying on a hard surface, presumably the floor, and steeling himself he slowly opened his eyes. The light stabbed into his eyeballs making his eyes water and despite his earlier vow of silence another moan of pain escaped him. However, with every passing moment the fog that seemed to be smothering his brain was lifting and Pavel realised he couldn’t stay where he was as he had the alpha shift on the bridge and right now he was in no fit state to carry out his duty. He needed to get up and get down to sickbay and ask for something to cure his hangover. The thought of the disapproving looks and the lecture he would have to endure from Doctor McCoy nearly made him moan again.

Slowly turning over onto his back Pavel carefully opened his eyes relieved to find that the stabbing pain didn’t return and in fact the throbbing in his head also seemed to be subsiding, so maybe a trip to sickbay and being on the receiving end of Doctor McCoy’s disapproval could be avoided. Perhaps a couple of cups of extra strong coffee would suffice in making him feel human again. However, as he stared up at the grey ceiling above him a frown began to crease his brow because something wasn’t right, the proportions of the ceiling were all wrong – this wasn’t his quarters. A fact that was further confirmed when a strange voice said,

“Well, well look who’s finally decided to wake up. I thought you were going to sleep for the whole trip boy.”

Shock, and although he wouldn’t admit it, a little bit of fear galvanised Pavel into action and forgetting his physical discomfort he quickly scrambled to his feet even though he momentarily felt light-headed and had to put out a hand to steady himself against the nearest wall. It immediately became obvious that he definitely wasn’t in his quarters or even on the Enterprise for that matter. He found himself in what could only be described as a cell. About twelve feet by six feet it had three grey walls; a bench that was built into the wall, and at the back of the cell was what he guessed was a rudimentary toilet. The fourth wall, right in front of him, consisted of a shimmering blue force field beyond which was standing the owner of the voice that had spoken to him a few moments before.

The man standing on the other side of the force field was watching him with a wide smile on his face, in fact the smile seemed a little bit too wide and reminded Pavel of a deceitful crocodile from a favourite picture book he had had as a child. It took him a moment but he eventually recognised the man’s species as Denobulan. When he’d realised he was a prisoner he’d expected to see a Klingon or maybe a Romulan but certainly not a Denobulan. Confused Pavel fell back on his Starfleet training and trying to sound as strong and steady as he could he pulled himself to attention and said,

“Chekov, Pavel Andreievich, Ensign, 656-5827B.”

The Denobulan chuckled, his smile widening even further as he replied in a mocking tone,

“What a good little soldier you are. But don’t worry boy we’re not after all the military secrets I’m sure you are privy to, you’re not a prisoner of war, you’re cargo.”

Confused Pavel faltered for a moment before asking,

“What do you mean? Who are you and why am I here?” hearing the uncertainty in his own voice and not wishing to appear weak he tried to inject some self-assurance into his voice, which wasn’t easy because at that moment he wasn’t feeling very sure of himself at all, when he added, “I am a Starfleet officer, do not think that you will get away with this, my ship, the whole of Starfleet will be looking for me.”

“Really,” his captor laughed, “the whole of Starfleet will be looking for one little insignificant ensign. I think you’re over-estimating your own importance in the grand scale of things boy.”

Feeling annoyed that the Denobulan kept referring to him as “boy” Pavel retorted,

“My name is Ensign Pavel Chekov and I am assigned to the USS Enterprise, and that ship and her captain, Captain Kirk, will be looking for me, and they will find me so it would be better for you if you release me now.”

“Ah, I don’t think so, no profit in that now is there boy.” chuckled the man. Then his demeanour changed slightly, becoming more serious as he added, “That was your old life, better you forget all about that now. Like I said you’re cargo, a commodity to be sold and we already have a very rich, very eager buyer all lined up who likes boys like you.”

Slavery, Pavel felt his heart clench in his chest. Of course he knew of such things, the Orion Syndicate were infamous throughout the quadrant, but to find himself in this situation...it was impossible, it must be a mistake, he must have misunderstood the Denobulan,

“What are you talking about,” he spluttered.

“Oh, come on boy, I’m sure you’re smart, it’s quite easy to understand after all. As I said we have a very rich customer who likes clever, feisty boys like you and pays very well for them. But he does have a habit of playing too rough and breaking his...toys. So every so often we get a message that a replacement is needed as soon as possible and we stop off at the nearest planet, pick up what he needs and get paid handsomely for it.” He was told. The man then continued, “Mind you Keisha said she was tracking two of you, but it seems your friend found a little local company and didn’t follow you down dark alleys...lucky for him, unlucky for you.”

Pavel was still trying to get his brain to accept his new situation and the quite frankly terrifying insinuations that the Denobulan kept making about what his fate might be if the ship they were on reached its destination before he was rescued. The thought that if it hadn’t been for the local woman Sulu had met at the bar then he would be in the cell with Pavel evoked two warring emotions in the young man. Firstly, he was relieved that his friend had stayed behind at the bar and so was safe aboard the Enterprise and no doubt helping in the search for him, but deep down inside a part of Pavel wished that Sulu was there with him lending him some of his strength, and so that he wouldn’t have to face this all alone. Knowing he was being selfish for wishing his friend was in the cell with him Pavel pushed that thought away, angry with himself. 

His captor then sighed and said, “Well enough of this chatter. There’s a tray there by the force field with some food and water on it.” 

He nodded towards the right hand corner of the cell and Pavel saw the small tray he was indicating lying on the floor just on his side of the force field and chided himself for not noticing it before, if he was going to escape this situation he would need to be alert and keep his wits about him.

The Denobulan added, “Now you eat it up and drink the water like a good boy...we want you to keep up your strength now don’t we.” The smirk was as obvious in his voice as it was on his face.

Anger flaring in Pavel at the man’s attitude he made sure he kept eye contact with him as he walked the few steps over to the tray and with a smirk of his own kicked it over knocking its contents onto the floor, and saying,

“I’m not hungry.”

“Oh, there’s that feisty spirit,” the man said as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a small silver coloured box. “Now you’ve made a mess and you still have to eat and drink so why don’t you get down on your hands and knees boy and eat that up off the floor.”

Pavel snorted at him and crossed his arms across his chest. “I don’t think so mudak.” The defiance buoyed Pavel’s spirits and he lifted his chin and stood his ground.

The Denobulan’s eyes narrowed and his ever present smile faded a little, then shaking his head he told Pavel,

“Time for your first lesson boy, and that’s obedience.”

With that he touched something on the silver box he held and Pavel felt a flare of agonising pain in his head which left him gasping and brought him to his knees. The jolt as he hit the floor travelled up through his body and made his teeth rattle. Then just as suddenly as it had started the pain was gone and Pavel slumped forward, one hand thrown out to the floor stopping him from ending up face down in a heap.

Holding up the box the Denobulan stepped up close to the force field, the proximity of his body making it shimmer and sparkle a little deeper shade of blue. The too wide smile was back on his face as he said,

“This is a little something to help feisty boys like you learn their place. While you were unconscious we placed a little chip at the base of your skull.”

At this Pavel’s eyes widened and the hand he had previously steadied himself with flew to the back of his neck and sure enough at the base of his skull, just under his hair, he felt a small lump which throbbed when he touched it.

Waiting for him to discover the truth of his words for himself the man continued,

“This box sends a signal to that chip in your head which causes you to experience pain. How much pain and for how long is up to whoever has the box...” Pausing he added, the warning clear in his words, “that was the lowest setting for the minimum duration. Now be a good boy and eat your food up off the floor.” 

Pavel hesitated, he didn’t want to abase himself in front of this smirking creature but he also remembered the number one rule taught to him during his survival classes at the Academy – keep yourself as healthy and unharmed as you can so that when an opportunity arises to escape you can take it. Or as his instructors had told him, “cadet, you do what you have to do to survive and deal with the fallout once you’re safe.” That was all very well in a classroom, but now, in a real situation, he just couldn’t make himself give in to this man. His mother had always told him he had a stubborn streak a mile wide and that one day it would get him into trouble, Pavel thought that this was probably that day. So getting up off his knees he stood and took a step back away from the over-turned tray and taking a deep breath he shook his head and simply said,

“No.”

His captor stared at him for a moment then chuckled as he replied,

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

A split second later Pavel’s world was transformed into one of pure agony. Not just the pain in his head but in every part of his body, searing fire caught every nerve ending, every muscle, alight. He was vaguely aware of an almost animalistic wail of pain and just had the presence of mind left to realise that the agonised sounds were being ripped from his own throat before pain, white and hot, consumed him and there was nothing in the whole universe but torture.

When he next became aware he was laying on the floor of his cell curled in the foetal position his body feeling raw, flayed open and crushed. He couldn’t move voluntarily but every few seconds some part of him would twitch as the aftershocks of the pure hell he’d just endured reverberated through him. He couldn’t see the man, his eyes didn’t seem to want to focus, but he could hear him laughing as he said,

“I’ll leave you there for a while to think about whether you want to start behaving yourself or not. When you can walk again I’ll come and get you cleaned up. After that we’ll have another talk about you eating your food up off the floor like a good boy.”

Pavel heard him leave and couldn’t stop the tears that spilled down his cheeks at the humiliation he felt when he realised that when he’d lost control of his body due to the overwhelming pain he’d wet himself. He felt so ashamed and fear was growing in his mind, but he held onto one thought, that his ship, his captain and his friends would be looking for him and that they would find him and save him – he had no doubt of that.

 

A/N – Russian – English translation – Mudak – asshole.


	4. One Art

Chapter 3 

No infringement intended and the poem excerpt is from “One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop.

“...-- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture  
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident  
the art of losing's not too hard to master  
though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.”

Jim Kirk knew that this was going to be one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do in his career and pausing for a moment, trying to put off the inevitable even if just for a few minutes, he thought back over the past ten days. 

When he’d first been informed by Lieutenant Kyle that a member of the crew hadn’t returned to the ship after shore-leave, and couldn’t be contacted, he’d had a couple of names in mind for who the culprit might be, but Ensign Chekov hadn’t been one of them. Sure, the young man had a youthful exuberance that sometimes got him into trouble, but he was also very conscientious regarding his duty and Jim had immediately felt a knot of worry begin gnawing at his gut. Instinct telling him something was wrong and Jim had learnt to trust his instincts. 

When enquiries with the planetary authorities concerning the possibility of his missing Ensign either being in jail or in hospital had proved fruitless, and scans for Chekov’s communicator had been negative, he had immediately requested search parties made up of locals and including members of the Enterprise crew. He hadn’t been short of volunteers wanting to go down to the planet to help, the young Ensign being popular amongst his crewmates. First to volunteer had been Lieutenants Sulu and Uhura, both of whom had been riddled with guilt each blaming themselves for the situation. Sulu because he felt he should have looked after the younger man and not allowed him to leave the bar they’d been in alone, and Uhura because she’d persuaded Chekov to go on shore-leave in the first place. It pained Jim that over the ensuing days of fruitless searching he’d watched the guilt eat away at both his officers.

At first the search for the Ensign had centred on the area around the bar where Sulu had last seen him. Despite a strongly worded request from him the planetary authorities had refused to stop any ships from leaving orbit, unwilling to inconvenience other visitors to their world for what they insisted was merely a case of an AWOL young officer who would soon turn up after either falling asleep after drinking too much, or enjoying the company of a local woman. 

After several hours of fruitless searching one of the search parties found a witness. A woman who having been up all night with an ill child had been looking out of her window when she’d seen a young man fitting Chekov’s description disappearing down an alleyway near her home, but crucially she hadn’t seen him re-emerge from the alley. A couple of security personal from Enterprise immediately found the remains of Chekov’s communicator when they searched the alley and tricorder readings had indicated that a transporter beam had been used in the vicinity recently. Kirk had finally got the planetary authorities to suspend departures from orbit but by this time five ships had already left and any one of them could have his missing Ensign on board.

All five vessels had submitted their registrations, manifests and flight plans with the planet's authorities, and Enterprise had wasted no time in sending out an alert regarding the ships. Three of them had been tracked by Star Fleet and had been searched and cleared of any involvement in Chekov's disappearance. The other two ships had given false information and tracking them had proved ultimately impossible. Although that had not been for a lack of trying, with McCoy warning Kirk that several of the crew, including Uhura and Sulu, were working themselves to the point of exhaustion in their search for their missing friend. Kirk knew that as well as focusing on the search during their on-duty hours they were also in auxiliary control in their off-duty hours using the ship's scanners and science equipment to try and find a way of tracking the missing ships. Spock had managed to indentify and then track the warp signature of one of the ships, but as an illegal vessel it had many techniques for masking it's trail and had used them all, giving out a false warp signature, passing through a nearby nebula and eventually skirting an ion storm. Spock had pulled double shifts at his science station and then, Kirk knew, had gone down to auxiliary control to carry on his work using the famed ability of Vulcans to go without sleep for extended periods. Kirk himself had spent many hours in his cabin calling in every favour and marker he could think of trying to get extra resources, extra time for the search. However, those two mystery ships had eluded them.

Now time had run out. Kirk made his way to the bridge and found himself unable to meet the eyes of his officers as he sat in the command chair, knowing he was about to crush their hope and knowing that he had no choice. He had argued with Admiral Fitzgerald, coming close to insubordination, but had eventually had to give in to the inevitable, Enterprise was too important a ship to have out of commission, as Star Fleet saw it, for too long. On the edge of the Romulan Neutral Zone Outpost Seven had reported picking up anomalous energy readings from within the Neutral Zone itself and Enterprise was to investigate, the search for it's missing Ensign would be carried on by what Admiral Fitzgerald had termed the 'appropriate authorities'. So reaching out and pressing the button to make a ship-wide broadcast Jim Kirk made one of the hardest announcements of his career,

"This is the Captain. I have just received orders from Star Fleet command that the Enterprise is to make it's way to Outpost Seven on the border of the Neutral Zone. The search for Ensign Chekov will be ongoing with Star Fleet dedicating resources and personnel to the effort, but the time has come for the Enterprise to return to duty with the fleet. I wanted you all to know how proud I have been of the time and effort which this crew has dedicated to the search for one of our own, and I know that we will not give up hope that one day in the future we will be able to bring Ensign Chekov home. Kirk out." Looking towards the helm he ordered "Lay in a course for Outpost Seven, warp factor four."

There was a hush over the bridge and for several seconds no one moved or spoke. It was Sulu who broken the silence, ever the professional officer, he seemed to shake himself slightly and murmured,

"Aye, sir." 

Before turning back to his consol and complying with Kirk's orders.

Needing some time to himself Kirk stood and strode towards the turbolift saying,

"Spock, you have to bridge." 

When the lift door closed behind him he let out a long breath, that he hadn't been aware that he'd been holding, and reaching up he rubbed a hand over his face suddenly feeling exhausted. 

He hadn't been in his quarters for more then ten minutes before the door chimed and after his weary,

"Come in."

Opened to admit a serious looking Dr McCoy. For a moment Jim wanted to ask his friend to leave not up to listening to the doctor's rage at the injustice of Star Fleet at ordering the Enterprise away from the search. Instead of that though McCoy held up a bottle of Romulan Ale and in a quiet voice said,

"That can't have been easy."

Letting out a sigh Kirk replied,

"You have no idea," and reaching out he took the now full glass that his friend held out for him and tried very hard not to feel like he was abandoning his young ensign to God-knows what fate.


	5. Go To The Limits of Your Longing

Chapter 5

Author's Note - be warned things get dark with non-con and violence from here on.

No infringement intended and the poem excerpt is from "Go to the Limits of Your Longing" by Rainer Maria Rilke

“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.  
Just keep going. No feeling is final.”

Sitting in his cell Pavel wasn't sure which had been worst, the interminable boredom of being cooped up with nothing to do, or the uncertainty of what awaited him when the ship he was on reached it's destination. He wasn't sure how long he'd been on board this vessel but his ever-grinning jailor had told him on his last visit that the voyage was about to be over as they approached what was, for him, to be journey's end. He reckoned he'd been held for ten or twelve days, no set routine to his meal times, or occasional trips to the nearby shower room, had meant he couldn't accurately measure the passing of time. 

He'd considered his options, which weren't many given the circumstances. He could attempt to escape, but he knew his cell was constantly monitored by a small camera located in the top right corner of the ceiling. If he did manage to get out of the cell unobserved he had no idea of the size or layout of the ship, as he had been brought onboard unconscious, would also be unarmed, with a device which could render him helpless with pain, at the touch of a button, embedded in his head, and so re-capture seemed inevitable. In the end the sensible thing had been to co-operate, to keep himself alive and healthy for when the rescue came, which he knew it surely would. He felt bad that he was being compliant with his kidnappers but knew that it was the logical course of action. Pavel felt a little better about it when he reasoned that Mr Spock would congratulate him on his decision.

Just then the outer door of the room opened and Yolan, his Denobulan prison guard, entered. He was carrying some cloth in one hand and stopping in front of the force field at the entrance to Pavel's cell he said,

"Your moment's here boy. Time to go to your new life."

Pavel stood and asked,

"We have reached our destination?"

"Yep, we've been in orbit for a few hours now. Captain Goff has been down on the surface negotiating with our client. Getting the best prices he can for our shipment of goodies, Saurian Brandy, Denevian Mead, Kreetassan Spice and...you of course." Yolan said with a laugh. 

Then suddenly becoming serious he added, "This is how it's going to be. I'm coming in there and you will turn around and put your hands behind your back and I will tie your wrists together with this," he held up the strips of cloth he was holding. "Then I will gag you cause the Captain doesn't want the buyer having to listen to you going on about your precious starship or the Federation, at least not until we've left."

Pavel had been about to indignantly object but Yolan didn't give him the chance, holding up his hand to silence him and then indicating the surveillance camera,

"Be sensible and cooperate or my friend who is watching everything that goes on in here will hit a button and every nerve in your body will explode in pain." He paused, and to his shame Pavel knew the Denobulan had seen the fight go out of him at that those words when he nodded and reached out shutting off the force field.

"Turn around and put your hands behind your back," he ordered as he stepped towards Pavel.

Feeling trapped and knowing he had no choice Pavel reluctantly obeyed.

The Denobulan was quick and efficient tying Pavel's hands securely in place. Stepping closer he reached around Pavel's head to put the gag in place when Pavel, in desperation, tried to quickly reason with him. Speaking quietly and hoping that whoever was watching them couldn't hear he said,

"Just let Star Fleet know where I am, I will tell them you were kind, they will be lenient with you..." He got no further as the cloth was placed across his mouth silencing him.

Yolan said nothing and just grabbed Pavel by the upper arm and marched him along the grey corridors of the ship until they reached a small transporter room and he pulled Pavel up onto the transporter platform with him. He brought his left wrist up to his mouth, and Pavel saw the communication device he had strapped on there, and said,

"We're ready to beam down".

Pavel felt the familiar tingling sensation as his molecules were pulled apart and reassembled on the planet's surface. Blinking in the sudden sunlight, which made his eyes water for a few seconds after the dim, artificial lighting of the ship, Pavel had his first look at his new prison.

'Paradise' was the first word which jumped unbidden into his mind. Green grass was underfoot as they stood in a clearing surrounded by flowering shrubs which were covered in exotic blooms in shades of red, purple and white. Pavel could hear insects buzzing and bird song while a pleasantly warm breeze wafted the vanilla-like scent of the flowers into the air. Off to his left, about 200 meters away he could see a small, white, single story building but it was the group of people off to his right that caught his attention.

A man, who judging by the ridged facial structure that Pavel could see was a Retellian, and he guessed was Captain Goff, was talking to a tall, very pale individual. This man was at least a head or more taller than Pavel with very blond, almost white hair and although he was wearing a long, dark blue robe Pavel could see that he was powerfully built. Behind him were standing four men of the same species, all tall with the same pale hair. These four were all dressed the same, in a uniform Pavel guessed, with a metal breastplate and a long grey cloak. They reminded Pavel of soldiers from history books, maybe from the time of Tsar Peter the Great, but the particle weapons they had strapped to their sides looked far more modern. 

Suddenly Goff looked towards him and although Pavel couldn't hear what was being said it was obvious when the other man turned to look at him as well that the conversation was now about him. Next to him Yolan squeezed his arm tighter and leaned in towards him whispering in his ear,

"My advice boy, forget your old life, forget your ship and the rescue which is never going to come. Your life here can be unendingly brutal, painful and unpleasant or you can find ways to make it bearable. Your ship isn't coming, your friends have forgotten you and your family have received a nice letter from Star Fleet telling them that their son is never coming home. You have to accept that or you're never going to survive."

Pavel had been so focussed on the horrific words that Yolan was whispering in his ear that he hadn't noticed that Captain Goff and the other man had moved until they were now standing in front of him. Still reeling from Yolan's words Pavel looked up into the face of the tall stranger who was in the process of buying him and immediately wished he hadn't. The man's skin was pale to the point of almost being translucent and cold pale blue eyes studied him intently. There was no warmth, no glimmer of kindness or empathy in that gaze, just cold calculation and something else, something cruel and rapacious that made Pavel shudder.

Reaching out the man gripped Pavel's jaw with one hand and tipped his head back further as he studied his face. Pavel was shocked at how cold that grip was, the man's fingers feeling like ice where they touched his skin. Letting Pavel go the pale man reached up and stoked his fingers through Pavel's hair. Then he turned towards Goff,

"You're right this one is pretty, such dark hair and those eyes, dark and soft but with a fire in them as well. You're sure he'll be more satisfying then your last offering? Pretty, stupid peasant boys don't keep me entertained for long and are much cheaper than the price you are asking for this one."

"Ah, my Lord Cador the price indicates the boy's worth and the risk we took getting him especially for you. He's pretty, just to your taste, but is also clever he will be able to keep you amused I assure you."

Reaching out once more Cador stroked his cold finger tips down Pavel's cheek and Pavel couldn't stop himself from pulling his head away from the unwanted touch. Cador laughed at that and turning back to Goff he nodded saying,

"Very well Captain I'll pay your price, but he had better be worth it. Oh, and I like the way you have presented him to me, tied and gagged...quite delicious." Turning from Goff he commanded his escort, "two of you take him to the cabin, I'll be there when I have concluded my business."

Suddenly Yolan let Pavel go and he found himself with one of the soldiers on either side of him, a strong grip on each arm, being dragged away from the group towards the one-story building he had seen when he first arrived. Looking back over his shoulder he saw Goff deep in conversation with Cador, the only person paying him any further attention was Yolan who smiled widely at him and waved before turning away. 

Though he struggled in the grip of the two soldiers it was no use, they were much stronger then him and dragged him along until Pavel found himself, still being held by them, standing in a room in what Cador had called the 'cabin'. In the room there was a large bed and a heavy wooden table with several equally heavy looking wooden chairs on one side of it. There was a closed door by the head of the bed, on the side furthest from Pavel, and a long, narrow, high window which ran for most of the length of the far wall and through which sunshine streamed leaving a long patch of light and warmth stretching across the polished wooden floor and the bottom of the bed. Pavel suddenly thought of his mother's cat, Solya, who would stretch out across the living room floor, lying in the patch of sunlight which would pour through the windows in the afternoon and his heart ached for home. He felt tears prick at the backs of his eyes as a wave of despair threatened to overwhelm him but he angrily pushed the feeling away.

Then his attention was re-focussed when the door he had been dragged through minutes before opened and Cador stepped into the room. The two soldiers holding him tightened their grip and seemed to pull themselves up straighter standing so rigidly to attention it was a wonder they didn't snap. 

Cador closed the door behind him and paused for a moment looking at Pavel, a slight smile on his thin, bloodless lips. Pavel tried his best to return the stare and look brave and confident, and he thought he was doing quite a good job of it despite feeling anything but inside. His wordless show of defiance seemed to amuse Cador even more and he laughed, slowly walking towards Pavel he said,

"Oh, you are going to be such fun to break."

Determined not to let his trepidation show Pavel kept eye contact with Cador as he walked towards him even if it meant he had to tilt his head back to look up at the tall man when he stood in front of him. 

Reaching out Cador quickly untied the gag and removed it from Pavel's mouth, dropping the scrap of cloth on the floor. Pavel took a deep breath and although his mouth was dry his lips felt even worse and his tongue flicked out to lick them in an almost unconscious gesture which he instantly regretted when he saw Cador's eyes glance down at his mouth. Taking another quick breath to steady himself Pavel said,

"I am Ensign Pavel Chekov of the Federation Starship Enterprise, my captain..."

He got no further because Cador drew back his right hand and slapped him so hard across the face that if it hadn't been for the two soldiers on either side of him holding his arms he would have been thrown to the floor. The sting on his cheek was intense and he immediately tasted blood in his mouth where his cheek had been sliced into by his teeth. Before he had a chance to recover himself Cador grabbed his chin in one hand, just as he had earlier when he had inspected Pavel outside, but this time the grip was much harder, his fingers digging in and Pavel was sure he could actually feel the bruises on his face already beginning to form.

"Let that be your first lesson," Cador told him, "you only speak when you are spoken to."

Then letting him go Cador stepped back and reaching down began to undo the golden hasp at his waist which fastened his long blue robe.

"Bend him over the table, it's time he learned his place." He commanded the soldiers.

Pavel found himself dragged over to the large wooden table and the breath was knocked out of him as his stomach collided with the edge of it as he was forcefully shoved up against it. The two soldiers never loosened their grip on his arms but they each brought their other hand up and each took hold of one of his shoulders and pushed him face down, so that his face and the upper half of his body was pushed down against the table's surface. In this vulnerable position and with the memory of Yolan's jibes in his mind Pavel began to panic.

Squirming he used all his strength to try and twist and pull himself out of the two men's grasp but they were much stronger than him and all his struggles were for nothing. He was so focussed on trying to get free that he didn't realise that Cador had moved to stand behind him, until he felt his cold hands reach around his waist and begin to undo the tie fastening on his trousers, which he had been given to wear after his uniform had been taken from him on board the smuggler's ship.

With no doubt in his mind where this was leading in desperation Pavel kicked back with his feet as his trousers and underwear were pulled down. Unable to see Cador he missed his target, and Cador brought his hand down in a stinging slap on Pavel's backside over and over again without pause until Pavel cried out and tears of humiliation and pain ran down his face onto the table's surface.

The beating suddenly stopped but his abused flesh felt raw and stung like it was on fire. His attention was shifted from this though by a new horror as he felt slick, lubricated fingers slip between his cheeks and rub over the entrance to his body. Before he could protest two blunt, ice-cold fingers were pushed inside him. His fought to escape again and began to beg,

"Stop, stop, please don't do this...please..."

But Cador took no notice and Pavel felt the fingers being thrust in and out of him even though he had clenched every muscle in his body in an attempt to stop the intrusion. Suddenly the fingers were withdrawn but any respite was momentary as something much larger began to force it's way inside him.

The pain was excruciating, Pavel had never experienced anything like it before. He screamed and begged for it to stop, not sure if he was speaking English or Russian or a mixture of both, only desperate for it to end, desperate for it to not be happening. He screamed and begged himself hoarse, Cador didn't stop. Pavel only fell silent and stopped struggling when he felt something tear inside him and a trickle of warm blood began to run down the insides of his thighs.

Not long afterwards Cador grunted his way to his completion and pulled out of Pavel's body, and Pavel refused to let himself think about what else was now running down his legs.

He heard Cador dressing himself all the while still being held face down over the table by the two immobile and silent soldiers, shame and disgust welling up inside of him.

"That was excellent." Cador exclaimed. "Well worth the money."

Then addressing his men he continued, "Get him dressed, put him on the bed and then wait outside. I'm going to lunch. I'll send the healer along to tend to him."


End file.
